Got ’em, need ’em, steal ’em: thieves target city trading-card shops By: Chris Kitching Posted: 5:46 PM CST Monday, Feb. 24, 2025

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The rising value of rare Pokémon cards may have fuelled recent thefts from collectible shops in Winnipeg, prompting some store owners to consider extra security measures.

Curtis Howson, who owns First Row Collectibles at 1835 Main St., said thieves were probably looking for signed professional wrestling belts and Pokémon cards when about $5,000 worth of merchandise was stolen during a break-in shortly after midnight last Thursday.

“They were able to get away with some valuable things,” Howson said Monday. “(Pokémon cards) have been kind of a target for a lot of these (thefts from) small stores. It seems to be Pokémon that’s attracting a lot of thieves.”

“It seems to be Pokémon that’s attracting a lot of thieves.”–Curtis Howson

Some cards have jumped in value amid a resurgence in interest, which has led to demand outstripping the supply of new releases, collectors told the Free Press.

Kozzy Alexial was working at Hoovers’ Cards, at 1051 Main St., at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday when two Pokémon cards were stolen. The rainbow Pikachu and Charizard cards, which were serialized, or part of a limited run, and graded mint condition, were priced at a total of $650.

Alexial said a man, who was with a second man, reached into a display case while staff were helping other customers.

“(A co-worker) started screaming at him. He booked it out the front door and took off down the street,” she said.

Alexial and the co-worker tried to stop the man from fleeing.

“The guy pushed me when I tried to close the door on him, and I got a little scrape,” she said.

Police are investigating the incidents.

“It is too early to tell if these incidents are related or evidence of thefts directly related to the card/collectible community,” spokesman Const. Claude Chancy wrote in an email.

Reports of break-ins, in general (commercial and residential), increased by 15 per cent in Winnipeg from August 2023 to August 2024, recent police data showed.

Howson and Alexial said Winnipeg’s card and collectible community is small and tight-knit. Store owners and collectors share information about thefts.

“Everyone is looking out for each other,” said Thomas Rivero, manager of Fusion Games at 1473 Pembina Hwy.

He said the store’s security measures thwarted an after-hours break-in last month. Recent incidents prompted discussions within the community about extra security, he noted.

Alexial, Howson and Rivero said thefts appear to be on the rise based on anecdotal reports.

Howson said he’s been struggling to sleep since police notified him about the break-in at the store he runs with his son. Officers responded to an alarm call.

“I’m waking up and checking my phone, and wondering if everything is OK. You feel violated,” he said.

Howson said Pokémon and baseball cards, including Shohei Ohtani and Barry Bonds rookie cards that were graded mint condition and priced up to $500 each, were among the items taken in a “minute of chaos.”

Some items were autographed, including a card signed by social media influencer Jake Paul.

“This is a very unfortunate event. Because we’re in retail, this is just kind of the life that we live.”–Kozzy Alexial

Howson believes those responsible for recent thefts are not collectors, but are stealing cards or collectibles to sell for a profit.

It will cost about $2,000 to replace a broken window and at least $2,500 to install metal shutters, he said.

“That’s a huge hit for any business. It’s tough when you take a loss like that,” Howson said.

He said it makes more financial sense to pay out of pocket for a new window, rather than file an insurance claim and pay a deductible.

Howson fortified a back door following a break-in two years ago.

He fulfilled a childhood dream when he opened his store three years ago.

“None of us are getting rich. We do it because we love to do it,” Howson said.

Alexial and Howson posted appeals on social media to help police find suspects, and to warn other stores or collectors to be on the lookout for stolen trading cards.

“This is a very unfortunate event. Because we’re in retail, this is just kind of the life that we live,” Alexial said.

Rivero said social media influencers and, especially for adults, nostalgia are helping to drive the resurgence of Pokémon cards.

“I think the thefts that are going on are more purely financial,” he said of possible motives.

Winnipeg isn’t the only city where trading card or collectible shops have been targeted. Multiple break-ins have been reported in Ontario.

Guelph police said four sets of Pokémon cards, worth $760, were stolen during a burglary at a store in that city Feb. 20.

In October, police in York Region, north of Toronto, recovered about $100,000 worth of rare Pokémon and Magic the Gathering trading cards during a wider investigation into break-ins.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca